Warsaw is a big and booming capital, but it still doesn’t get as much attention from most travelers as does Krakow, for several main reasons. Business travelers dominate, so hotel prices can feel high during the midweek. Still, Warsaw is a beautiful city that is very friendly and easy for tourists.
| Population | 1,700,000 |
| Area | 3,400,000 |
| Timezone | UTC+1 |
| Currency | Polish zloty |
| Airports | Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) |
There are plenty of decent hotels in Warsaw, with most of the better budget options in and around the Old Town area. A large batch of international-style hotels are going up there and in other districts, so the choice will continue to widen.
Warsaw hotels tend to be fairly busy through most of the year. This is largely a business town, and that often makes hotel seasons a bit unpredictable based on whether a conference is going on or not. Generally the high season is summer and the low season is winter, but good deals can be found on some weekends, especially at the nicer hotels.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 15.79 - 57.89 |
| 24.21 - 77.89 |
| 29.47 - 91.58 |
| 49.47 - 115.79 |
| 93.68 - 126.32 |
OSiR Polna Doubles from €60/night | |
Our pick: The best cheap and central 3-star hotel in Warsaw |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 5.26 - 20.00 |
Tatamka Hostel Beds from €8/night | |
Our pick: The best cheap and central hostel in Warsaw |
| Location | Description | Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palace of Culture and Science deck | Poland's tallest building towers over Warsaw, and the observation deck on top is popular. | adults children | 6.05 4.84 |
| Royal Castle | At the entrance to Old Town Warsaw, on Castle Square, you'll find this huge place, which is free most Sundays. | adults students | 12.11 9.69 |
| National Museum | The country's largest and finest collection of art and antiquities is free (and crowded) on Fridays. | adults students | 4.84 2.91 |
| Frederic Chopin Museum | Poland's famous 19th Century composer has his own museum, as you'd expect. It's free every Sunday. | adults students | 6.05 3.63 |
Warsaw is a big city with a large business district and quite a bit of domestic tourism, so most restaurants are not catering specifically to non-Polish tourists. In the main tourist areas you’ll have no problem finding menus that are also in English.
| Food Type | Description | Price(USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Budget breakfast | If your hotel doesn't include breakfast then follow the local workers to the cheaper places. | 2.91 - 4.60 |
| Budget lunch | Local hearty favorites can be good value, as can Middle Eastern take-away. | 4.84 - 7.51 |
| Budget dinner | There's plenty of budget options if you look for Polish restaurants, but Italian and other international dishes will cost more. | 6.78 - 11.62 |
| Beer (.5L) | The local lagers such as Tysky are widely available and quite good. Happy-hour deals during the day are easy to find if you look. | 2.42 - 4.12 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Taxi from airport to city center | 8.72 |
| Local bus from airport to city center | 0.97 |
| 3km taxi ride in Warsaw | 4.84 - 6.05 |
| Metro, tram, or bus ride | 0.73 - 0.97 |
| 24-hour transport card | 3.63 |
| Month | High F | Low F | Precip (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32 | 21 | 0.8 |
| February | 34 | 22 | 1.0 |
| March | 41 | 30 | 0.9 |
| April | 54 | 40 | 1.3 |
| May | 67 | 48 | 1.7 |
| June | 71 | 56 | 2.4 |
| July | 75 | 59 | 2.9 |
| August | 73 | 57 | 2.5 |
| September | 65 | 50 | 1.7 |
| October | 55 | 38 | 1.5 |
| November | 41 | 33 | 1.5 |
| December | 36 | 26 | 1.3 |
Warsaw has more of a mild climate than one might imagine, although winters definitely do get cold. From June through August it can get a bit steamy at times, but most of the time it’ll be pleasantly warm and dry. This is also the only time when rainfall is at all common, though you’ll be pretty unlucky if it disrupts your visit. Spring and autumn are considered to be the best times to visit, but really the winter is the only time to avoid.
| 21 Mar | 5:37am | 5:51pm |
| 21 Jun | 4:14am | 9:01pm |
| 21 Sep | 6:20am | 6:37pm |
| 21 Dec | 7:43am | 3:25pm |